The invention generally pertains to pipettes, and more specifically, to a pipette made of a rigid or resilient material that is pre-filled with a pharmaceutical or cosmetic product and is used once and then discarded.
A typical pipette consists of a slender pipe or tube that is used to transfer or measure small quantities of a liquid or a gas from one location to another. The most common type of pipette consists of a small glass tube that widens into a bulb at the middle. Liquid may be sucked into the bulb and retained therein by closing the top end of the pipette with a stopper, thumb or the like. Since it is necessary to fill the pipette with the liquid, it would be beneficial to both medical practitioners and laboratory technicians to provide a disposable, one use pipette that is pre-filled with the required liquid. The pre-filled pipette would make the dispensing of the liquid much easier and faster, in that the step of filling the pipette is no longer needed, and the dispensing could be accomplished in a variety of ways that are already known in the art.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that possess the novelty of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents are considered related:
Phillips in U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,676 teaches a drug delivery device that has a reservoir holding medicine for delivery to a patient. The device has a conduit with one end coupled to the reservoir and a free end to position within the fornix of a patients eye. Through gravity and capillary action the medicine flows into the eye with the rate of delivery adjusted according to the size and material of the conduit. The reservoir is made of an absorbent material provided with an impermeable backing which acts as a barrier, and in the preferred embodiment the backing has an adhesive for attaching to the eye of the patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,837 issued to Firestone, et al. is for a packaged pharmaceutical product having an extended shelf life and includes a container consisting of a hollow body with an open end. The body wall thickness enables drop-by drop dispensing of the medicine by manually squeezing the container body. A tip is fixed to the body to form droplets for application.
Lifshey in U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,057 discloses an ophthalmic storage and dispensing device formed by injection molding, consisting of a vial with thick rigid walls and a limited flexible area. The flexible area allows only a small displacement when squeezed, thus providing, a metered volume of liquid. The tip having a integral molded puncture membrane provides sealing.
Firestone, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,273 teaches a barrier package that includes a container with a hollow body and an open end. The container has a body thickness that enables drop-by drop dispensing by manually squeezing the body. A dropper tip is fixed to the open end and forms droplets upon manual squeezing of the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,020 issued to Mosley is for an eye drop dispenser and dispensing sleeve. The dropper has a liquid reservoir portion and a dispensing end with a dropper orifice. Part of the reservoir is resilient, and a dispensing sleeve circumscribes the dropper tube with a pair of legs that extend beyond the end of the tube. The legs are adapted to fit against the orbital areas of an eye to support the dropper over the eye for application of the liquid.
Fennimore in U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,744 discloses a packaging device for light and oxygen sensitive liquid which includes a dropper spout. The vessel itself is sealed within a gas impermeable envelope under vacuum.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention is related reference may be made to the remaining cited patents issued to Poynter, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,676 and Goldberg, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,659.
Pipettes and eye droppers, as well as containers in the form of bottles, tubes, vials etc., have been in use for over a century to hold, transfer and measure liquid products and are therefore accepted. Disposable single-use containers have been increasingly popular in recent years, particularly in the field of medicine and cosmetics. Therefore, the primary object of the invention is to provide a pre-filled pipette that is made of a thermoplastic material of a thickness permitting a bulb section to be squeezed to dispense the pre-filled liquid, or is made of a rigid plastic material to dispense the pre-filled liquid by breaking an upper tube end, either tearing or cutting, to release the liquid from within the pipette through the force of gravity once air is introduced above the product.
An important object of the invention is that the fabrication techniques used to produce the pipette are inexpensive enough to allow the pipette to be thrown away after use. Namely, this invention provides single use delivery and constantly furnishes fresh, uncontaminated products to consumers.
Another object of the invention is that the design of the pipette is ideal for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry as the material is compatible and the size and configuration of a relatively long cylindrical shape lends itself to this field of endeavor.
Yet another object of the invention is that a suitable applicator is part of the prefilled pipette. This applicator provides the user with a convenient built in holder. Thus, the user does not have to find and attach a separate applicator to the pipette as the tubular section serves as a suitable holder by itself. The applicator can also be labeled and protected to maintain cleanliness.
Still another object of the invention is that the liquid in the bulb of the pre-filled pipette is protected from bacteria or bioburden contamination by the liquid barriers located in the thin hollow tubular section.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.